Boat with retractable wheels



A ril 3, 1956 c. P. CHURCH BOAT WITH RETRACTABLE WHEELS 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1954 iii Char/es P Church INVENTOR.

April 3, 1956 c. P. CHURCH BOAT WITH RETRACTABLE WHEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1954 Char/es P Church INVENTOR.

BY Wm fiM L and 2,740,135 BOAT WITH RETRACTABLE WHEELS Charles P. Church, Miami Beach, Fla. Application ()ctober 15, 1954, Serial No. 462,506 4 Claims. (Cl. 9-1) The present invention relates to boats having retractable supporting wheels for towing the boats to and from the water.

Generally, the invention comprises a boat having wheel wells on opposite sides thereof opening into the bottom thereof within which wells are mounted retractable. wheel supporting structures carrying supporting wheels which may be extended from the wells for towing the boat out of the water and retracted into the wells when the boat is Water borne.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a novel retractable wheel supporting structure for each of the wheel wells which structure, in addition to being exceedingly simple of construction, is extremely compact, provides a unique extension and retraction movement and affords ample shock absorbing characteristics when extended for the overland transport of the boat.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a positively operated extensible and retractable wheel supporting assembly which is under the positive control of the operator in all stages of its extension and retraction and which may be locked in any selected position between its fully extended and its fully retracted positions.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a boat equipped with the retractable wheel supporting assemblies constituting the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the boat of Figure l disclosing the wheel supporting assemblies in their extended position;

Figure 3 is an enlarged top view of the boat with one of the wheel wells being broken away to show the mounting of the wheel supporting structure therein;

Figure 4 is a detail view in cross-section of the operating means for extending and retracting the wheel supporting structures or assemblies, taken substantially along the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a vertical section through one of the wheel wells, taken substantially along the plane of section line 55 of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is illustrated a small boat of the type adapted to carry an outboard motor at the stern 12 thereof.

Forwardly of the stern on opposite sides thereof, the boat is provided with wheel wells or housings 14 which open into the bottom of the boat, as at 16. Within each well 14 is mounted a retractable wheel supporting structure 18.

Extending across the boat 10 and journaled through the side walls of each well 14 at its opposite ends is a rotatable shaft 20. Collars 22 fixed to the end portions of the shaft 20 within the wells 14 fix the shaft against axial movement. Pillow blocks 24 journal gear rack slide States Patent 0 2 bearings 26 which bearings are in turn journaled on the end portions of the shaft 20.

Slidably carried within each wheel well 14 by the slide bearing 26 is an elongated toothed rack 28 having a wheel fork 30 formed at one end thereof.

Pivotally attached to a support bearing or bracket 32 to the back end of each well 14 is a shock absorbing cylinder 34 having a plunger 36 extending from the free end thereof and having a wheel fork 40' formed thereon.

As will be noted particularly in Figure 3, the ends of the forks 30 and 40 overlap and through registering apertures journal the wheel supporting axle 42 thereon, the axle pivotally connecting the shock absorber assembly 34 and the rack 28 to one another, and in addition, carrying the supporting wheel 44.

To extend and retract each structures 18 within each well are provided with spurgears bearings 26 and meshing with the teeth 48 on the racks 28.

Centrally of the shaft 20 is fixed a suitable gear 50 for rotating, the shaft 20 in response to rotation of" the worm 52 on the longitudinal crankshaft 54 operated by the crank 56 on the end thereof. The crankshaft 54, worm 52 and gear 50 are preferably enclosed in a suitable housing 58.

of the wheel supporting 14, the ends of the shaft 20 46 disposed within the slide To extend and retract simultaneously the Wheel supporting structures 18, it is simply necessary to turn the crank 56 in the desired direction, thereby rotating the spur gears or pinions 46 and causing the racks 28 to slide in the slide bearings 26 while these slide bearings themselves pivot about the shaft 20, thereby moving the Wheel supporting assemblies between the full line and dotted line positions shown in Figure 5. Obviously, by virtue of the direct gear connection between the wheel supporting assemblies 18 and the operating means therefor locking the crankshaft 56 in any given position likewise locks the wheel supporting assemblies in Whatever position they happen to be in at the time.

Upon full extension of the assemblies from the wells 14, the boat 10 is ready for transportation, and to facilitate such transportation, a suitable hitch connection 60 for coaction with a conventional trailer hitch 62 on a towing vehicle may be provided at the bow of the boat.

When the boat is ready to be water borne, the wheel supporting structures 18 may be retracted within the wells 14 and suitable sliding doors or the like provided to close the bottom opening 16 in the wells to preclude the ingress of water thereinto.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A boat having wheel wells opening into the bottom thereof, an elongated toothed rack carrying a wheel disposed within each of said wells, means swingably and slidably carrying each rack mounted within each well inotally attached adjacent one end of each well at one end thereof, the other end of each elongated element being pivotally attached to the wheel carrying portion of each rack, a spur gear for moving each rack to extend its wheel from the well, said means swingably and slidably carrying each rack comprising a shaft having a slide bearing journaled thereon slidably supporting said rack, said operating means including a spur gear fixed to said shaft engaging said rack, said wheel carrying means comprising a wheel fork on one end of each rack, an axle journaled in said of, a shaft extending across sard boat and carrying pinions at the ends thereof, slide bearings housing said pinions journaled on the end portions of said shaft, and toothed racks slidingly supported by said slide bearings in meshing engagement with said pinions, shock absorbing cylinders pivotally mounted in said housings adjacent the back ends thereof and having plungers extending forwardly therefrom, the free ends of each plunger having a wheel fork thereon and terminating adjacent one end of each rack, said one end of each rack having a Wheel fork thereon, an axle pivotally attaching the adjacent plunger and rack forks to one another, a supporting wheel carried by each axle, and means for rotating said shaft for moving wheels into and out of their housings.

4. A boat having a pair of elongated wheel housings on opposite sides thereof and opening downwardly of the boat, a shaft extending across said boat, hearings in said housings, the ends of said shaft extending through said bearings, pinions on the ends of said shaft, slide bearings carried by said shaft adjacent to said pinions, racks slidingly supporting said slide bearings so that the teeth thereof are enmeshed with said pinions, extensible shock absorbers pivotally mounted in said housings adjacent to the back ends of said housings, a wheel fork carried by each shock absorber and terminating adjacent to one end of each rack, another wheel fork secured to each rack adjacent to the first-mentioned wheel forks, axles connecting one wheel fork on each rack to one fork on each shock absorber, a supporting wheel carried by each axle, and means operatively connected with said shaft for rotating said shaft in order to move said wheels into and from said housings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,812,211 McCrea June 30, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 556,325 Great Britain Sept. 29, 1943 649,243 Great Britain Jan. 24, 1951 

